Larry Rulison | September 18th, 2021

ALBANY, N.Y.  –  Back in April, a local man made off with more than $4,000 in jewelry he allegedly stole from a downtown Albany store. The evidence was right there for all to see. The suspect, who lives in Albany County and has previous arrests, was filmed by a security camera reaching over the counter at Truman Jewelers on North Pearl Street and taking items out of the glass case while a store employee was in the back. 

A month later, Albany police nabbed the suspect, whose identity is being withheld by the Times Union so as not to unfairly influence his pending criminal case.

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Karen Dybis| September 16th, 2021

JCK ONLINE –Jewelry stores have a number of high-tech security options available, from alarms to RFID systems and tracking devices. One retailer recently piloted a forensic marking technology with success, highlighting this as one more potential option for jewelers.

In the first case in the Northeastern United States, a technology known as SelectaDNA helped an Albany, N.Y., jewelry store during an April larceny. Truman Jewelers had the technology in place to “tag” a suspect who took an estimated $4,000 in merchandise. The suspect’s hair, skin, and clothing contained a unique forensic code associated with that jeweler, officials said, connecting that person to the larceny.
 

Albany-based Shepherd Communication and Security installed the SelectaDNA system inside Truman Jewelers as part of a pilot program; it is the exclusive certified dealer for SelectaDNA in the Northeast. Managing Partner Richard Ruzzo says he anticipates additional retailers, especially jewelry stores, will be interested in this case and how the technology works, especially for crime prevention.

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Bruce Lucas | September 2nd, 2021

ALBANY, NY – A jewelry store in Albany is the scene of the first successful use of synthetic forensic technology as a crime-fighting tool in the Northeast.

Truman Jewelers at 71 North Pearl Street in downtown Albany served as guinea pig for the pilot crime suppression initiative, originally unveiled in January 2020.

Vials of synthetic DNA spray mist containing a substance that can only be seen under special frequency UV light are strategically located inside the store.

During an April 23 larceny at the store, a suspect made off with approximately $4,000 in merchandise. Unbeknownst to him, he was “misted” by the forensic Criminal Tagging System.

Shepherd Communication & Security Managing Partner Richard Ruzzo says the mist remains on clothing, skin or hair up to several months after application.

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WNYT Staff | September 1st, 2021

ALBANY, NY –  An Albany jeweler is showing off its new crime suppression initiative. As NewsChannel 13 reported in January, Truman Jewelers on North Pearl Street became the first business in the state to install synthetic forensic technology. Criminals are sprayed with a non-toxic, water based chemical as they flee the crime scene. The invisible residue stays on a person's skin four to six weeks, and on their clothing two to three months.

They say the technology has been successful in catching criminals. "Was it you? Were you there? You know, does it match up," said Richard Ruzzo, Shepherd Communication & Security Managing Partner. "So we've got video surveillance, we've got maybe eyewitness accounts, and now we've got something that has a pin code on it that can irrefutably identify the fact that this was released. It's also on your person, it looks like you on video. It might be just the tool necessary to help adjudicate, quickly, these types of cases."

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Jackson Wang | September 1st, 2021

ALBANY, NY – 

In late April inside Truman Jewelers in downtown Albany, a man walked around the store. But if you kept an eye on him, you would've seen him reach behind the counter and begin to grab merchandise.

In total, the suspect made off with about $4,000 worth of jewelry. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s been tagged with a mist, which later helped police connect him to the crime after his arrest.

“For me, really positive for the client and my staff that all we have to do is activate the system and let the police do their job,” said Paul Crabbe, owner of Truman Jewelers.

The store is the first in the Northeast to utilize this forensic marking technology, created by SelectaDNA, when it was installed January 2020. Ruzzo, a distributor of this product, said this gives prosecutors another tool.

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Jennifer Seeling | September 1st, 2021

ALBANY, NY – A synthetic forensic technology captured evidence in a local jewelry store heist in Albany. The system at Truman Jewelers is the first case in Northeastern to utilize SelectaDNA.
 

SelectaDNA forensic marking technology is a unique tracking solution. It’s a mist made from a water-based, non toxic solution that is invisible. The mist can remain on a suspect’s skin and clothing for nearly three months. The technology enables authorities to scientifically identify an individual after a crime is committed. Officials are using new technology to solve old crimes.

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WRGB Staff | March 27th, 2021

ALBANY, NY – This is a look at how the Times Union Center is working to keep people safe during this weekend's NCAA men's Ice Hockey Regional.

It is a partnership with Shepherd Communication & Security of Albany.

They've installed innovative technology including an elevated body temperature device at four locations. The machines will also monitor mask compliance.

Also, air purifying systems are being tested in the suites.

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By: Justin Dawes | March 26th, 2021
Albany Business Review 
 

ALBANY, NY – The Times Union Center said Thursday that it’s reopening this weekend with the help of body temperature readers designed by Shepherd Communication & Security. The arena is using the Albany company’s thermal imaging system, which can screen about five to eight passersby per second and flag individuals with elevated skin temperatures for additional tests. The system’s camera can also check for mask compliance. 

Shepherd worked with a number of manufacturers to design products in response to what some organizations, including the Albany International Airport, said they needed during the pandemic, Shepherd managing partner Richard Ruzzo previously told the Business Review. 

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For Release: Immediate – Tuesday, March 23, 2021

ALBANY, NY – Shepherd Communication & Security, a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for electronic and specialty security systems, today announced the appointment of Thomas Favitta as Director of Technical Operations. The addition of an experienced professional with a proven record of effective management and outstanding client service furthers the rapid expansion of Shepherd, which is revolutionizing the way organizations protect their assets.

>>>READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE 

By: Brian Lee  | March 16th, 2021

The Daily Gazette

SCHENECTADY, NY —  Stakeholders in Schenectady County’s tourism industry said they were prepared for pent up demand for weddings and events of up to 150 people amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During a press event at Water’s Edge Lighthouse Monday, discussion of the governor’s new guidelines for weddings and events centered on thermal kiosks that would ‘welcome’ guests by taking their temperatures and other baseline details. The new guidelines allow up to 150 people, or 50% of a venue’s capacity, to attend weddings and meetings. All weddings must be approved by local health departments, and everyone on the premises must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before the wedding, or a rapid test within six hours.

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By: Matt Hunter  | March 4th, 2021

Spectrum News

Albany, NY — It may be hidden under a face mask, but Harold Burns greets every person that approaches his security kiosk at SUNY Polytechnic with a smile. “Thank you, sir. You’re all good,” Burns said to one of the many employees who quickly walked past his station on their way to work one recent morning.

That’s not to say there’s a whole lot of time for idle chit-chat.

“It goes smoothly,” Burns said. “I like it when it’s a little busier so there’s movement. People are getting stickers and they’re moving.” The longtime security officer is at the helm of SUNY Poly’s new Elevated Body Temperature, or EBT system. Utilizing a thermal-imaging camera, it takes less than a second to scan a person’s temperature, and Burns gets to safely stand off to the side. “I feel a lot safer, a lot safer,” Burns said. “I wear a lot less PPE, I don’t have to wear my N95 or my safety glasses in this position because we are still a distance away from them.”

The school co-occupies Albany’s NanoFab East building with New York Creates, a multi-billion dollar semiconductor research and development hub that has stayed open throughout the pandemic. “We have people doing research and working within the fabs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Erin Commerford, SUNY Poly’s assistant director of security. Commerford says as many as 1,000 people are now showing up to the campus for work or school each day, which makes a quick and orderly screening process essential. “We realized we were going to have a greater number of people coming back to work and that there was a need to obviously screen people a little bit more rapidly,” Commerford said.

SUNY Poly bought the customized EBT system from Shepherd Communication and Security in Albany.

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By: Brenton Blanchet | January 29, 2021

The Daily Gazette 

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake — A normal school day at O’Rourke Middle School used to just start with a bus ride, school breakfast and morning announcements. But with a new gadget now welcoming them at the double doors, kids must align their foreheads with a height-adjustable machine in order to get the green light to learn. 

This new addition to their routine is courtesy of local company Shepherd Communication & Security, which introduced its Elevated Body Temperature technology just a couple of months into lockdown last year. After vetting a few different technologies, the district realized the EBT was exactly what they needed.

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By: Justin Dawes| January 19, 2021

Albany Business Review 

Albany Business Review — The Colonie safety and security solutions company created a thermal imaging system that can detect elevated body temperatures and flag an individual for additional tests. Several Capital Region institutions have installed one of the systems.

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By: Giuliana Bruno | December 3, 2020

NEWS 10

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Hudson Valley Community College has kept the number of coronavirus cases on their campus low compared to other schools in the state. They say innovative technology from a local security business has greatly helped their efforts.

Thermal camera technology from Shepherd Communication and Security, an Albany-based business, has made the COVID-19 screening process at HVCC simple and effective. President of the college, Roger Ramsammy, says their coronavirus protocols didn’t start out this way. Manual temperature reading was slow and made social distancing difficult. “Long lines, people rushing to class,” said Ramsammy, “having to come here much earlier.”

That’s where Shepherd comes in with their elevated body temperature, or EBT solution.

>>>READ MORE

By: Larry Rulison | November 18, 2020

Times Union

TROY — Hudson Valley Community College in Troy has done a really good job this year keeping its campus safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Since March, there have only been 28 confirmed COVID-19 cases among HVCC students and staff, giving the community college one of the lowest infection rates within the SUNY system among schools of a similar size. HVCC has 10,000 to 11,000 students enrolled in a typical year. HVCC says a lot of that success is due to a high-tech temperature screening technology developed by Shepherd Communication and Security in Albany that it uses at three special entrances at the school.

When the pandemic hit earlier this year, HVCC President Roger Ramsammy knew that the college would need a sophisticated screening tool, especially since its students come and go much more frequently than at a four-year residential college where students tend to spend more time on campus. It turned out, Shepherd had just what Ramsammy was looking for. He had seen a similar technology used at a conference in Cooperstown and came away impressed. "We had to find the best system that would work for us," Ramsammy said this week while he showed off the new system, which was installed in August. "Shepherd was the only one that could do this type of work. I knew that that was a system that could do it."

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By: Richard Ruzzo | May 12, 2020

Albany Business Review

It is no secret; it has been a very challenging few months for businesses throughout the Capital Region. This unprecedented pandemic has left many organizations scrambling to weather the storm, protect their employees, and ensure their own personal health and safety. We have a long road ahead, but the good news is that it appears that we are on the downslope of the curve and preparing to return to some sense of normalcy.

The “new normal” will take time to develop and get accustomed to but Capital Region businesses must take appropriate safety measures in order to reopen and ensure the safety of all they serve. The question becomes how do you deploy safety measures against “an invisible threat” that goes above and beyond washing hands and wearing face masks?

As businesses start planning their re-opening strategy, they are seeking tools to help defend against these types of business interrupters from impacting them again. One of those tools that will likely need to be deployed by municipalities, schools, transportation hubs and businesses large and small are thermal imaging cameras that are specially calibrated to detect elevations in skin and body temperatures (EBT). Identifying individuals with EBT as an early warning can help reduce or dramatically slow the spread of these viral exposures and quick spreading pathogens. Using thermal detection systems, businesses can be discrete, efficient, and effective in identifying those who may need secondary screening with more specific and traditional testing.

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by: SDM Magazine 

Posted: May 5th, 2020

Shepherd Communication and Security (SC&S) was selected as the Master Value-Added Reseller (MVAR) in New York State for SelectaDNA forensic marking technology. The announcement was made by CSI Protect, the exclusive distributor of SelectaDNA technology in North America. 

As MVAR, SC&S is responsible for the development and management of a statewide certified dealer network to continuously increase market share of SelectaDNA technology across New York State. SC&S is also providing all technical, sales and marketing support to certified dealers. 

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by: Samantha DiMascio / News 10

Posted: Jan 16, 2020 / 06:09 PM EST / Updated: Jan 16, 2020 / 06:09 PM EST

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) — A high-tech crime-fighting technology is making its way to businesses and law enforcement agencies across the state, including in the Capital Region. 
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The technology, from SelectDNA, is a synthetic DNA mist that is water-based, invisible to the naked eye, and non-toxic, but if someone breaks into a location armed with the forensic technology, they’ll likely be doused in it.

“The system is then told, OK, there is someone in the facility and as they are leaving the building there is a motion detector over the door. They’ll set off the motion detector, the spray will be released, and then they’ll walk through that mist on their way out,” said Robert Guillerault.

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